A HOMEOWNER has been slammed by community members after she proposed using three of her homes as short-term rentals.

Residents in Buffalo, New York, fear their small neighborhood is being overrun by tourists who turn next-door properties into party homes.

On September 26, Maura Winkler and her husband made a bid to the city of Allentown for permission to add the rentals but were met with severe criticism by locals.

One resident said that short-term rentals like Airbnbs threaten to “destroy the fabric of the neighborliness that is difficult to find,” while another called it “unnecessary and detrimental,” CBS affiliate WIVB reports.

Winkler hit back that they had no intention of ruining the neighborhood with rentals, and only wanted to share the history of Allentown with others.

“I think the perception is, ‘Oh this is a party house.” No, we don’t want partying in our houses that is the absolutely last thing we want,” she said.

Winkler explained that they are instead encouraging a diverse audience to come visit and support local businesses.

The owner of the oldest home in Buffalo, Winkler feels passionate about keeping local history alive by restoring property.

“We really do care about these old houses being maintained,” she said.

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According to Winkler, the real issue facing the city is “absentee” landlords who own properties in the town but live elsewhere.

“They don’t collect enough money in the long-term in order to really upkeep some of these historic properties that need very expensive renovations,” she said.

Winkler witnessed this issue first-hand when she purchased a historically significant property from a landlord who left it in poor condition and had to heavily renovate it.

Over the years, she said that she’s invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in historic properties throughout Buffalo.

“One of the issues in Buffalo, we don’t always have enough density to support our local businesses and that’s why we see a lot of these businesses in Allentown and the Elmwood village going out of business,” she said.

“So I know some of the local business owners are happy to hear that there’s Airbnb’s in the neighborhood.”

Councilmembers are working with Winkler and the community to find the best solution to the short-term rental debate.

“Allentown is a unique neighborhood with old housing stock, it’s dense, adjacent to downtown, it’s very desirable to people who want to have an Airbnb,” said Buffalo Common Councilmember Mitch Nowakowski.

He continued, “The last thing I want to do is have neighborhoods that are not in harmony and have visitors come in and stay somewhere and not feel welcome.

“But I also want to stick up for the residents who are voicing rationale concerns about the identity and the fabric of their neighborhood seeming to be at loss by a saturation of short-term rentals.”

Other Airbnb hosts haven’t been as lucky with guests as one stay left a homeowner with $100,000 in damages.